Suzuki Motor Corp.'s subsidiary in India turned out more than one million cars in the business year ending March 31 for the first time since it began production in 1983, the maker of minicars said Wednesday.

The fiscal 2009 production figure represents an increase of about 30 percent from a year earlier for Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., which controls about half of the Indian car market.

While rivals in Japan, the United States and Europe are boosting their footholds in India, Suzuki said it will aim to maintain its competitive edge by ramping up investment in distribution and sales networks to improve the quality of its services.

Suzuki launched car production in India in December 1983 with Maruti Suzuki India and reached annual production of 50,000 units by 1985 and 500,000 units by 2004.